Life preserver inflating device



April 13, 1954 G. A. ELIKANN LIFE PRESERVER INFLATING DEVICE Filed sept.1o, 1951 l i u Patented Apr. 13, 1954 UNITED STATES PATENT GFFICE(claims.

This invention relates to a device which may be used advantageously incombination with an' in` iiatable article for iniiating the articleautomatically when it is immersed in a body of Water.

The present device is applicable to inatable articles such as lifepreservers, jackets, vests, rafts and others capable of being buoyedwhen inflated.

An object of the present invention is the provision of an iniiatingdevice attached to an inn flatable life preserver of the Mae West typefor instance, which may be worn by a person, and which device willautomatically iniiate the preserver and render it buoyant, when, throughaccident or by deliberate action, such person becomes immersed in a bodyof water, to the end that the person will be saved from drowning.

A further object of this invention is the provision of a device of theindicated character embodying oat operated means which is operable forinitiating the inflation with the device disposed right side up orupside down.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a device of thecharacter mentioned which is simple, practical, compact and light inweight.

With the foregoing, other objects and advantages of the invention willappear when the following specication is read in conjunction with theaccompanying drawings, in which Fig. l is a front view of an iniiatablelife preserver selected to illustrate the device of the presentinvention shown applied thereto. Y

Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view through the inlating device.

Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken on the line 3-3 of Fie. 2.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary sectional view showing certain features on anenlarged scale.

In Fig. 1 there is shown an inflatable life prel server in the form of avest Ill of standard construction now `on the market. Such vestgenerally stated consists of rubberized fabric and has an inlet nippleII at one side near the lower end, and a suitable harness I2 forsecuringr the vest on the person using the same.

Also there is shown a commercial container or cartridge I 3 which ischarged with compressed gas consisting of carbon dioxide. The containeris sealed by a puncturable disk I 4.

In accordance with the present invention there is provided an inflatingdevice which is secured to the vest I Il and utilizes the cartridge I3in connection with the inlet nipple II. The device includes a casing orhousing I5 havingr a compartment I6 and a chamber I'I at one side of thecompartment I6 and projecting upwardly therefrom. The compartment has anipple I8 at the bottom at one side, and an internally screw threadedneck I9 on the top, oiset with respect to the nipple I8. An inflatorcylinder has its upper open end internally threaded and its lower openend externally threaded. The cartridge I3 loosely fits within thecylinder so as to provide clearance for the flow of the gas whenliberated from the cartridge. An internally threaded cup 2i is screwedon the lower end of the cylinder 2li. The cup 2i cooperates with abushing 25 to retain the cartridge I3 in a functioning position and maybe removed to replace the cartridge. The nipple I8 is screwed into theupper end of the cylinder. The screw connections of the parts will befluid tight. The cylinder 29 has an outlet port 22 communicating with acap nut 23 brazed to the cylinder. This nut 23 is screwed on the nippleIl to establish communication between the interior of the cylinder 20and the interior of the related inflatable compartment of the vest. Apuncturing element 24 has guided axial movement in the bushing 25screwed into the upper end of the cylinder 2l). The pointed lower end ofthe element 24 rests lightly on the disk I4 in puncturable relationthereto. The upper end o1' the element 24 projects upwardly through ahole 26 in the bottom of the compartment It. A gasket secured to thebottom of the compartment I5 surrounds the upper end portion of theelement 24 to prevent the escape of gas. A flange 2l encircling theelement 24 prevents the element from becoming separated from thecylinder 2l).

Within the compartment I6 is a hammer 2B which is mounted on an arbor 29for pivotal movement with respect to the puncturing element 24. A coilspring 3e is arranged on the arbor 29 and has one end engaged with thehammer 28, and its other end bears on the housing I5. `The spring Seserves as the power means for the hammer 28. There are serrations orteeth 3l on the hammer forja purpose to appear.

In order to hold the hammer 28 cocked, there is provided a latch member32 having a reduced upper end portion 33, a flange 34 intermediate theends of the member, and serrations or teeth 35 on the bottom face of thelower end of the member 32. The teeth 3l and 35 cooperate or intermeshto retain the hammer 28 cocked. A bushing 3S is screwed into the neckI9. The latch member 32 has guided up and down movement in the bushing36 and is under the influence oi a helical spring 3l which surrounds thekeep foreign particles out of the chamber.

latch member 32 between the ange 34 and the bushing 36 in contacttherewith. The end portion 33 projects upwardly through a plate 38, thelatter having a hole therein for that purpose. The spring 31 constitutesresilient means for moving the latch member 32 into a releasing positionin which the teeth 35 are disengaged from the teeth 3l, thereby enablingthe hammer 28 to strike the puncturing element 25. so it will penetratethe disk I4. The end portion 33 has a concave seat 40.

A trip or trigger arm 4I is pivoted as at 42 to a guard 43 on the insidethereof, and said guard integra-l with the plate 38 is secured to thehousing I5. The arm 4| has a projection 44 with a rounded end whichcooperates with the concaved seat 46 to hold the latch member'32 in alatching position with the teeth 35 intermeshed with the teeth 3l on thehammer 23, thereby holding the hammer cocked.

A hollow metal or lother kind of float 45 isarranged for up and downmovement in the chamber ll. A slot 46 in the float receives one end ofthe arm tl, there being a certain amount of playV between the float andthe arm when the oat is in its neutral position. Screens 4'! secured tothe housing at opposite ends of the chamber Il admit water into thechamber and Light helical springs 48 are secured to the opposite ends ofthe ioat respectively and bear on the screens .41. The springs 484yieldingly retain the float in a neutral functioning position.

It will bev understood that the Vfloat 45 will operate the inflatingdevice when it is right side wa-ter, the oat 115 will be buoyedrelatively7 to the arm ll by pressure of the water in the chamberllcausing the pivotal movement o1" the arm,

thereby instantly releasing the latch member 32 from engagement with thehammer 28 by the action of the spring 3i. As a consequence the hammer 28will strike a blow on the puncturing element 2d causing the latter topenetrate or puncture the disk lli, thereby unsealing the cartridge i3and so ,liberating the compressed gas. The gas iiows in the cylinderthrough port 22 and inlet nipple ll into the interior of the vestthereby iniating the vest for the obvious purpose of. sustaining theperson afloat.

While the iniiating device has been shown and described as applied to aninilatable life vest, it is to understood that the device may be appliedto any other inflatable article to be used in an emergency; and thatdetails of the inven- ,tion may be modied and rearranged in accordancewith the scope of the claims.

iclaim:

i.. An iniiating device comprising a housing embodying a chamber havingwater inlet openings, .a iioat arranged in said chamber to be buoyed bywater entering said chamber, a sealed container of innating fluid underpressure connected with said housing, a spring actuated latch member on`the housing, a pivoted spring actuated hamrmer in the housing,cooperative means on said latch member and hammer by which the hammer isheld cocked by said latch member when the latter is in the latchingposition, a puncturing element having guided movement on housing, and atrip on said housing which normally bears on one end of the latch memberand thus holds the latch member in its latching position,

rsaid trip being positioned to be operated by said float when the latteris buoyed as aforesaid, to perform the following function, namely, to:eA lease the latch `member to disengage vsaid cooperative means so asto unlatch the hammer en'- abling the latter to cause the puncturingelement to puncture said container, thereby liberating the fluid thereinfor the purpose of initiating an article connected with the device.

2. An inating device comprising a housing, a pivoted spring actuatedhammer carried by the housing, a sealed container of inlating fluidunder pressure, means having a iluid outlet and said means beingconnected withy the housing to support the containeiwithin the same, aspring actuated latch member carried by the housing, cooperative meanson said latch member and hammer by which the latch member releasablyretains said hammer cocked, a puncturing element having guided movementin said housing, and float operated means carried by said housing whichcooperates with said latch member which controls the operation of thelatter, the provision and arrangement being such that the operation ofthe float operated-means releases the latch member to disengage saidcooperative means enabling the hammer to Aoperate the puncturhig elementso that the latter punctures the container, thereby liberating the iiuidfor the purpose of inflating an article to which the device may beattached.

3. An inflating device comprising a housing providing a chamber, saidhousing having water inlet openings communicating with said chamber atthe opposite ends thereof, a float arranged in said chamber to be buoyedby Water entering said chamber through said openings, a sealed containerof inflating huid under pressure connected with the housing, meansarranged in said housing operable to unseal the container to liberatethe iluid therein for the purpose of infie-ting an article, a springloaded latch in the housing to keep said unsealing means dormant andoperable to release said means for the` unsealing operation, and atrigger in said housing, said trigger having an arm, said float having aslot into which saidarm projects, to release the unsealing means for theaforesaid purpose upon operation of the trigger by the iloat buoyed inthe stated manner.

4. An inating device as set forth in claim 3, wherein said slot is inone side of the float, and said arm of .the trigger projects laterallyinto said slot.

References cited 'in the fue of this 'patent UNITED STATES PATENTSNumber Name Y Date 1,329,990 Muller Feb. 3, 1920 2,041,662 Mapes May 19,1936 2,067,065 Mapes Jan. 5, 1937

